Introduce Yourself to The Community

Let us know a little about yourself and your lawn care and landscaping business. Let us know who you are, where you are from, and what equipment you started with and how far you have come along in the business.

Thread: 16 yrs. old and 4 1/2 yrs in business

Hi... my name is Phil and I just came across this site the other day. Wow!! lots you can learn on this site. I am 16 years old and I am on my fourth year mowing lawns. I started out with an MTD (not self-driven) 5 hp lawn mower, a weedeater, and broom. Sold the MTD and was given a rear wheel driven mower. Last year I bought a new craftsman 6.75 hp push mower and a 32cc trimmer that I love and also a craftsman blower. The beginning of this year I bought a rear engine Toro 8 hp 25" deck. I have a 3x4 trailer that I haul behind my rider. I keep my push mower, blower, and trimmer in it (all of my jobs are in my neighborhood until I get my license in Feb.) I just bought a nice 95 4x4 Ranger and a 5x8 trailer for the ranger(I can't wait to use it next year ). My dad has a 38" JD that he says he will let me barrow when I get my license. I am thinking of getting a larger riding mower in a year or 2 (42-48"). I would also like to get a new blower and some advice would be nice on the mower and blower, something under $250 would be good(can't decide between a backpack or hand-held). Also looking at a new or used chainsaw. I am debating a stihl or echo on the chainsaw and want a 14 or 16" bar. I have an 18" bar right now and it is more that what I need.

I too am 16 years old and are in school for it. For a blower, I have both a hand held echo and a packpack blower. For about $300.00 you can get an Echo PB431. This is a good blower for blowing away debris. You might want to think of upgrading to an Echo PB751 or the new PB755 blower. (More power for leaf cleanups). As for the mower, I personally love the Exmark Metro. The metro 36" runs a little over $2,000.00 depending on your dealer. I too also have a craftsman mower. Runs great! One thing that ive done is start with homeowner equipment and slowly working my way up to all Commercial. Hope this helps! Ill give you more info if you need it!

N&C-
You say you are in school for it??? Tell me more about that...where at 16?? Also where about do you live and how many yrs. in business... and what do you think or have you ever bought small power equipment off of ebay. Also, do you know if the 36" will fit through a gate. That is the main reason I got the 25" Toro

N&C... Tell me a little more about your metro. Could you do me a favor and measure the entire mower's width. I am looking to see if I could fit it through a gate. Also does it come with a bagging and mulching system?? Thanks a lot Phil

I go to Minuteman Regional High School in Lexington MA. Ive been doing it for going on to 3 years. Ive looked at Ebay, but never bought off Ebay. I prefer going to one of the dealers in my area. How many accounts do you have? well it depends on the gate. A 36" should fit through a standard gate (3')

J&R you must NOT have a 36" Metro. You guys aren't understnading what I said. A 36" deck means the width of the mower is 36" same thing goes for a 48" and so on. A 36" DECK DOES NOT REPEAT NOT MEAN THAT THE DECK IS 36" BUT THE MOWER IS 37",38",39",40" EXT IN TOTAL WIDTH. If you stil don't understand let me know. Like J&R said the Husky 350 is a very handy little saw and is light but powerfull.